One common type of fluid applicating writing device is a dry erase marker. The dry erase marker has traditionally been a disposable instrument, built with inexpensive materials and supplied with a finite volume of ink. These disposable markers have short functional lifetimes due to their limited ink supply, nibs (marker tip, ink applicator) that dry out, and design flaws that limit the functional lifetime of the marker. As a result, it is estimated that schools in the United States alone throw away 70 million dry erase markers, thereby generating more than 1.4 million pounds of plastic waste, each year. To compound this problem, it is difficult or impossible to recycle spent dry erase markers because they are made from a mix of materials, and because the residual ink is often highly flammable.
The quantity of waste generated by disposable dry erase markers has prompted many designs for refillable dry erase markers. Some designs have included markers with removable lids or end caps, which allow a user to refill the marker manually by connecting a separate ink source to the marker and squeezing ink into the body of the marker. Other designs comprise replaceable ink vials or cartridges specifically adapted for use in the marker. These designs, although functional, have various drawbacks, including spilling or leaking ink while performing refilling, difficult or time-consuming refilling processes, and costly ink supplies. Moreover, such designs generate further solid wastes, such as empty ink bottles or spent vials or cartridges.
Dry erase markers are used particularly extensively in academic settings. In such settings, multiple educators, any or all of whom may use dry erase markers extensively, may share a single classroom and therefore a single supply of markers. As a result, the inability to locate a functional marker is a frequent annoyance for many educators. The use of refillable marker designs currently on the market would only moderately improve the situation; educators are unlikely to go to the effort of performing a refill operation or risk an ink spill or leak, especially in the middle of a class or lecture. Thus, most educational institutions still use disposable markers due to their ease of use, relatively cheap cost, and spill-proof design.
There is a thus a need in the art for systems, devices, and methods by which a dry erase marker or other fluid applicating writing instrument can be refilled, recharged, or replenished quickly, easily, and inexpensively. It is further advantageous for such systems, devices, and methods to be substantially spill-proof and leak-proof.